Automatic ironing shoe release



Nov. 10, 1953 J. A. CASTRICONE AUTOMATIC IRONING SHOE RELEASE 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18. 1948 Nov. 10, 1953 J.A. CASTRICONE 2 1 AUTOMATIC momma suoz RELEASE Filed May 18, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. I Ja zz a f ayfi'z 'c'azze wdz/l/iw;

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AUTOMATIC IRONING SHOE RELEASE Filed May 18, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

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AUTOMATIC IRONING SHOE RELEASE Filed May 18, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 IN V EN TOR.

J5 MW Qyezz/ Patented Nov. 10, 1953 OFFICE AUTOMATIC IRONING SHOE RELEASE John A. Castricone, Peoria, 111., assignor to Altorfer Bros. Company, Peoria, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 18, 1948, Serial No. 27,720

6 Claims.

This invention relates to ironing machines and particularly to a safety release mechanism for the ironing shoe regardless of whether the machine is power actuated or there has been an interruption in the power supply. The safety release mechanism is actuated by a lap board projecting outwardly from the front of the ironer over the operators lap and this mechanism provides a needed and advantageous improvement over my Patent No. 2,253,950, issued August 26, 1941. In the conventional ironer construction, it is customary to provide an llOlliIlg bed and shoe between which the work is passed during the ironing operation. These elements are subject to numerous variations, but as a rule the ironing bed is of cylindrical or somewhat arcuate shape and is provided with a fabric surface and suitable padding in a manner well understood in the art. In power driven machines this bed is usually caused to revolve or oscillate in relationship to a heated ironing shoe shaped to conform with the surface of the ironing bed and movable into and out of engagement therewith. It is customary to employ power driven means for causing the ironing bed and shoe to engage and disengage, and

ordinarily this power engaging means is synchrom'zed with the roll driving means in such a manner that as the ironer bed begins to move, the bed and shoe are caused to engage, while as the bed ceases its movement, the bed and shoe disengage.

It is also quite customary to provide such mechanisms with an emergency release control and spring retracting means, whereby the ironing elements may be irrespective of the power driving mechanism. The necessity for such an emergency release mechanism will be readily appreciated when it is considered that these ironers are usually supplied with power through the ordinary household cord and plug which may be easily damaged or disengaged in such a manner as to cause a power failure.

It should be pointed out that since the power driving means is utilized both to engage and disengage the ironing elements, any power failure while the ironing elements are in engagement will leave the highly heated ironing shoe in engagement with the work and also in engagement with the fabric surface of the ironing bed, and that if this condition is allowed to continue for more than a very few seconds, the heat of the shoe will scorch or burn both the work being ironed and the fabric surface of the bed.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this inveninstantaneously disengaged I tion to provide an ironing machine with an emergency release mechanism that is associated and controlled by a lap board which is an easy and natural control position for the operator and which signals by its position on the ironing machine its natural functions so that the ironing elements may be re-engaged in normal operating relationship after release.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a power driven ironing machine with a manual release mechanism of such design and construction that operation of the manual release will be efiective to disengage and separate the cooperating ironing elements irrespective of the operation of the power driving means associated therewith but in which normal operation of such power driving mechanism subsequent to the manual release will be effective to re-engage the ironing elements in normal operative relationship.

A further object of the invention is to provide a power driven ironer with an emergency release effective to separate the ironing elements beyond their normal released position in order to provide a greater safety factor particularly when a hand or arm is drawn between the shoe and roll.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic ironer release mechanism which is readily accessible, simple in construction, rugged in operation and economical in manufacture. Release can be accomplished by the operator raising the knees or by raising the body so that the legs will lift the lap board. If any large pieces of clothing would get caught on the edge of the lap board While ironing, the pull caused by the clothes going through the roll would lift the lap board and cause the release thereof.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of an ironing machine constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental end elevation of the ironing elements and power driving mech- 2Lniim With rt n parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the ironing element pressure means;

Fig. 4 is a transverse detailed sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 44 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the ironer driving means, certain parts thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 5A is a broken top plan view of my new by means of a control rod 2 3 release mechanism showing the mechanism as it would appear with the lap board in vertical or non-operative position;

Fig. 5B is an elevational cross sectional view of my new release mechanism associated with the lap board of the ironing machine and showing details of construction as it would appear in vertical or nonoperative position drown in Fig. 5A;

Fig. 5C is a broken elevational view of my new release mechanism shown in Fig. 5B with the.

lap board in upper operating position ready to release the mechanism and with the lap board in dotted outline to show its release position;

Figs. 5D and 5E are broken elevations]. views of similar optional forms of release mechanisms later to be explained;

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional v'lewof the ironer release mechanism, the parts thereof being shown in an emergency released position;

Fig. '7 is a detailed sectional view similar to Fig. 6, the parts being, shown in their normal released position; and

Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional view similar to Fig. 7, the parts being shown in. their normal operating position.

The ironing bed II is here illustrated in the form of a cylinder or roll, mounted for rotation on a bracket I2 which may be cast integrally with a gear housing l3 and supported in any desirable manner upon the ironer frame |5. A driving motor I3 is bolted on the gear housing l3 and serves to rotate or oscillate the ironing bed through the medium of a suitable gearing (not shown) housed within the housingv I3.

The motor operation of the. ironer is. controlled by control lever l1 pivotally mounted on the pin l3 and connected with the control shaft I3 journalled in the wall of the. gear housing l3 The arrangement is such that the motor I6 will run continuously while the ironer roll or bed may be engaged or disengaged from driving connection by the actuation of the control lever |1. When the con trol lever I1 is momentarily depressed, the roll II will be engaged and driven by means of the motor l3 until such time as the lever I1 is again depressed in order to disengage the driving connection and stop the roll.

The ironer shoe 3| is pivotally mounted on a pin 32 carried at the upper end of a movable arm 33 pivoted to the standard 34 by means of a pin 35. The shoe 3| includes a concave arcuate ironing surface 33 which is adapted to bear against the similarly shaped, surface of the ironing bed Power actuated pressure encasement between the shoe 3| and the bed H is accomplished by mounting an eccentric 4| (Fig. 3) on a fixed shaft 42 within the gear case l3 and by operatively connecting the eccentric strap 43 with the movable ironing shoe 3| in such a manner that the shoe 3| will move into and out of engagement with the bed or roll H in accordance with the position of the rotating eccentric 4|. The arrangement is such that whenever the control lever I1 is momentarily depressed and the ironing bed begins to rotate, the eccentric 4| will revolve 180 from the position shown and will move the eccentric strap to the right from the position shown in Fig. 3, thereby causing the movable arm 33 to pivot downwardly about the pin 35 in such a manner as to bring the arcuate surface 36 of the ironing shoe 3| into pressure engagement with the ironing bed ||.v When the eccentric 4| has rotated 180 and brought the ironing elements into engagement, an automatic clutch (not shown) disengages the driving connection to the eccentric 4| and the parts remain in engaged position until the operating lever I1 is again actuated. When this is done the driving connection to the ironing bed II is disengaged and simultaneously the eccentric 4| is again engaged and rotates 180' back to the normal disengaged position as illustrated in Fig. 3. This will, of course, result in moving the eccentric strap 43 back to the left and in allowing this motion to be transmitted ,to the swinging arm 33 in such a manner as to disengage the shoe 3| from the ironing bed II and return the shoe 3| to the normal released position illustrated.

The. eccentric strap 43 is provided with a slot 44 in order to engage a pin 45 carried by a crank arm. 43 fixedly mounted on an oscillating pressure shaft 41 journalled in a bearing 43 (Fig. 5) formed integrally with the walls of the gear housing l3. A. coiled compression spring 49 is carried within a suitable socket in the eccentric strap 43 in order that a certain amount of yielding will be permitted between the ironing elements when they are in engaged position.

Predetermined pressure adjustment between the roll H and shoe 3| is accomplished by an arm 5| (Figs. 58) which is secured to the oscillating pressure shaft 41 by means of a cross pin 52 and which carries an adjustable index plate 53 angularly movable with respect to the arm 5| within the limits prescribed by the adjusting slot 54. This index plate may be clamped in any predetermined angular setting with respect to the arm 5| by means of a cap screw 55. The driving shaft 41 extends beyond the index plate 53 in order to provide a pilot portion 53 freely rotatablev within the drilled opening 51 of a. driven clutch element 53. A driven. oscillating pressure shaft 53 is secured within the drilled opening 51 in axial alignment with the driving pressure shaft 41 but is rigidly connected with the clutch element 58 by a cross pin 3|. A spring pressed plunger 32 is slidably mounted in a slideway- 53 in the clutch element 58 and is normally held in locked engagement within a suitable orifice 34 in the index plate 53 by means of a compression spring 65 hearing against a threaded plug 63.

Examination of Figs. 5 and 6 will show that the arrangement is such that the oscillating movement of the pressure shaft 41, as imposed by means of the eccentric 4| and eccentric strap 43, will be transmitted through the pin 53 and arm 5| to the index plate 53 and then through the plunger 32 and driven clutch element 53 in such a manner as to oscillate the driven pressure shaft 53 in accordance with the movement of the. driving pressure shaft 41 whenever the plunger 62 is seated within the orifice 34. The degree of pressure to be exerted between the ironing elements is adjustable in accordance with the requirements of the work by adjusting the position of the index plate 53 with respect to the arm 5| by means of the screw 53.

The opposite end of the driven pressure shaft 59 is joumalled in a bearin 1| carried by the angle plate 12 secured on the lower surface of the top plate 13 of the base |5 by any desirable means, and is provided with a crank arm 14 (see Fig. 4) rigidly mounted at the extreme end by means of the cross. pin 15.

The movement of the driven oscillating pressure draft 59 is transmitted to the ironer shoe 3| by means of a connecting rod I6 mounted on the crank pin 11 carried by the crank 14 and extending upwardly to the pin 18 secured in bosses 19 within the wall of the swinging arm 33. The shoe 3| is normally urged out of engagement with the roll II by a coiled tension spring 8| which extends downwardly from the pivot pin 35 to a hole 83h in carrier 83 (see Fig. The cap screw 82 serves to secure the carrier or adjustable limit stop member 89 which is slidable along the connecting rod I6 and which may be clamped in any position therealong as limited by the adjusting slot 84 for adjusting the tension of spring 8|.

Examination of the drawings will clearly indicate that the position of the handle 81 behind the shoe 3| introduces a burning hazard to the operator because the hand and arm must be extended over the hot shoe to actuate the handle. It will be obvious that the limit stop 83 may be adjusted for contact with a fixed limit corresponding to the shaft 86 and thereby the handle 81 may be eliminated, thus eliminating the hazard described above and providing an optimum clearance between the shoe and roll. Although in the following description I retain the handle 81, it will be understood and appreciated that I may substitute the adjustment mechanism with a fixed stop 86.

The lap board I9I (see Figs. 1, 5B and 5C) is a new idea to my ironing machine. It provides a hinged tray or shelf to keep damp garments out of the operators lap and has proved to be a desirable addition to the ironing machine. The lap board extending across the operators lap is in ready convenient position to the operator and it is pivotally mounted in a conventional manner as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. My use of the lap board I9I as a release lever is new and inasmuch as it extends over the operators lap it is in obvious position to perform its functions as a releasing lever as will now be explained. The lap board I9I, when in vertical stored position as shown in Fig. 513, has no control over the release mechanism because the link I92 with its slotted connection I93 with link I94 has no operative connection with the release plunger as will be clearly understood by an examination of the drawings. The lap board is held at any position of its travel by friction between hinge pin I9Ip and spring clip I9Ic. This friction is adjustable by screw I9 Is.

However, when the lap board I9I is moved to horizontal operating position as shown in Fig. 50, the slot I93 is moved to operative engagement by reason of the lever connections now established between the lap board I 9|, the lost motion lap board connector member I9Ia, the link pin connection I927) and the slot I93 in the link I92 with the link I94.

When an emergency release is necessary or expedient, this may be quickly and conveniently effected by the operator merely raising the lap board I9I to the dotted line position as shown in Fig. 50. When the lap board I9I is so pivoted upwardly as shown in dotted outline, the bell crank I95 pivotally attached to the link I94 and the link I96 (see Fig. 5A) moves the spring pressed plunger 62 out of the clutch orifice 64, whereupon the ironer shoe 3| is released and removed from the roll I I.

Although in the foregoing I have discussed a manual emergency release by actuation of the lap board by the operator which may be accomplished in a wide variety of ways-even without use of the hands-it will be appreciated that the same results can be accomplished by clothes moving over the lap board. For instance, when clothes are moving over the lap board they may not be properly fed into the roll by the operator whereupon the pull of the clothes on the lap board and particularly catching of clothes thereon may effectively release the mechanism and thus automatically release the roll. This is an important feature because at times the operator may be too engaged to properly feed the clothes between the roll and shoe.

Many variations of the lap board structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a control rod I91 lying around the lap board and connected to the release parts I9I'a, I92 and I921), as clearly shown in Fig. 5D, may be utilized to perform the release functions of the lap board I9I. Thus, by raising the control rod as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 5D, the same emergency release of the shoe 3| may be effected.

Further by eliminating the lap board I9I and using merely a simple push release rod I98 connected to a revised push release bell crank I95, the structure may assume a simple push release actuated by the push rod I98 as shown in Fig. 5E.

I desire to teach and claim an emergency release utilizing an actuating lever extending outwardly over the front lap section of the ironer which may be actuated by horizontal or angular pushing movement that may be effected by the operator either with or without the use of the hands or automatically by the goods being ironed.

Reset of the emergency release may be readily accomplished by returning the lap tray I9I to its normal horizontal position as clearly shown in Fig. 5C. Here an important benefit is attained because the lap board I9I in its angularly upward position clearly signals the operator that the release mechanism has been actuated. The operator would thus naturally move the lap board I9I to its normal horizontal position and thus the emergency release is ready for reset. The above natural movements of the lap board I9I have proved of considerable advantage be cause sometimes the operator fails to reset the mechanism when the release control lever is placed in a less conspicuous and obvious position.

In many cases the safety release is placed above the shoe, but when the shoe is in released position, the release handle is behind the shoe so that the operator's hand must pass over the hot shoe, grasp the handle and pull forward, running the risk of having her wrist burned as she exerts pulling power on the handle.

As hereinbefore pointed out, the control mechanism is such that the power drive is utilized not only to move the shoe 3| into engagement with the roll II, but also to move these ironing elements out of engagement, and, therefore, the emergency release lap board I9I is provided in order that the ironing elements may be instantly disengaged irrespective of the power drive, or in the event of a power failure. Moving the lap board I9I upwardly will withdraw the plunger 62 from the orifice 54 in the index plate 53 against the action of the compression spring 95. This movement completely disengages the operating connection between the driving pressure shaft 41 and the driven pressure shaft 59, leaving the shaft 59 free to move under the influence of the tension spring 8| which will act to draw the connecting rod I6 upwardly, thus pivoting the swinging arm 33 about the pin 35 and withdrawing 7 the shoe :1 from engagement with the ironing bod II.

In the normal operation of the machine the operator will first place the work to be ironed in position on the ironer roll I i and will then actuate the knee control IT to start the rotary move ment of the roll H and to cause the ironing shoe 3! to move into pressure engagement with the work positioned on the roll H. This is accom plished by means of the control rod 2| which extends between the kneecontrol lever I1 and the control shaft t9 journalled in the wall of the gear housing l3. The movement of the control shaft t9 will actuate suitable clutch mechanisms housed within the gear box eccentric 41 through 180 of movement from the position shown in the drawings and thus move the eccentric strap 43 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 3, in such a manner as to oscillate the driving oscillating shaft 41 and draw the swinging arm 33 downwardly by means of the connecting rod 10 and crank 14 to force the ironing shoe 3i into pressure engagement with the roll H.

'The ironing shoe 31 will remain in pressure engagement with the rotating roll I I until the knee control I! is again actuated, at which time an automatic clutch mechanism housed within the gear box l3 will again rotate the eccentric 4i through 180 of movement to return the parts to the position shown in Fig. 3 to disengage the shoe II from the roll II and stop the rotary movement of the roll H. The details of the mechanism within the gear box l3 by which this action is accomplished, have not been described in the present application since it forms no essential part of the invention and since it has been fully described in the United States Patent No. 2,115,- 941, issued to this applicant on May 3, 19-38.

In view of the complete description of this mechanism set out in the specification of said patent, detailed description in this application is not considered necessary, but it should be pointed out that the mechanism provides a power operated means to release these elements from ongagement and move them into spaced relationship with each other. Both of these functions are accomplished by power transmitted through the gear box I! from the motor IE, and the knee control lever l1, control rod 2 I, and control shaft l9 merely serve as manual actuating means whereby the power operated mechanism may be caused to operate according to the will of the operator.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of this invention as required by the patent statutes, I am aware that it is subject to numerous modifications without departing from the invention spirit and I, therefore, do not wish to be limited except as by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pressing machine, an ironing member, a pressing shoe cooperating with said member, means for controlling said shoe comprising a pair of aligned shafts the drive one of which is connected with the shoe to move said shoe in one direction, a clutch having a slidable clutch pin connecting said shafts together, a lap board mounted upon said machine for upward and downward swinging movements, a link pivoted to said lap board and having a slot in its free end portion, a second link having a slidable pin connection with said slot, a bell crank lever pivoted to the machine and having one arm thereof connected to said second link and a third link connecting the other arm of said bell crank lever I3 to rotate the with said clutch pin whereby upward movement of said lap board will withdraw said pin and disconnect said clutch, said slot allowing said lap'board to be swung downwardly.

2. In a pressing machine, an ironing member, a pressing shoe cooperating with said member, means for controlling said shoe including a pair of aligned shafts, clutch members upon the adjacent ends of said shafts, a spring pressed slidable pin connecting said'clutch members together, means connecting said shoe with one shaft, means for operating the other shaft, a lap board mounted upon said machine, a bell crank lever pivoted on the machine and having one arm connected to said slidable pin and a lost motion link connection between the other arm of said bell crank and the lap board.

3. In a pressing machine, an ironing member, a pressing shoe cooperating with said member, means for controlling said shoe comprising a pair of aligned shafts the 'drive one of which is connected with the shoe to move said shoe in one direction, clutch blocks upon the adjacent ends of said shafts, a slidable spring pressed pin connecting said clutch blocks together, a lap board mounted upon said machine for upward tilting movement, a connection between said lap board and said spring pressed pin arranged to withdraw said pin and disconnect said clutch by upward movement of said lap board.

4. In a pressing machine, an ironing member, a pressing shoe cooperating with said member, means for controlling said shoe comprising a shoe operating mechanism connected therewith and having a clutch, means for disconnecting said clutch and releasing said shoe comprising a lap board mounted upon said machine and a connection between said lap board and clutch to disconnect said clutch and release said shoe by upward movement of said lap board, said connection between said lap board and clutch having a lost motion connection whereby said lap board may be swung downwardly into a vertical plane.

5. In a pressing machine, an ironing member, a pressing shoe cooperating with said member, means for controlling said shoe comprising a shoe operating mechanism connected therewith and having a clutch, kinematic means for disconnecting said clutch and releasing said shoe, said means comprising a lapboard mounted upon said machine and including a lost motion device con- .nected between said lapboard and said clutch to disconnect said clutch and release said shoe by upward movement of said lap board 6. In a pressing machine, an ironing member, a pressing shoe cooperating with said member, means for controlling said shoe comprising a shoe operating mechanism connected therewith and having a clutch, means for disconnecting said clutch and releasing said shoe, said means including a lap board mounted upon said machine and adapted for swinging movement about a substantially horizontal axis, a lost motion device and a bell crank lever connected between said lap board and said clutch for disconnecting said clutch upon upward swinging movement of said lap bowl JOHN A. CASTRICONE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date ,339,917 Bond May 11, 1920 2,253,950 Castricone Aug. 26, 1941 2,526,550 Freis Oct. 17, 1950 

